dag019 · Jun 10, 2024

Dauphproto said:
While on that subject, my pickup has no back door just the tailboard, where is the wiring hiding for washers, wiper and heated screen??? There are a couple of plugs on the harness where it crosses the rear cross member. What are these? Oh and is the Genuine 300 TDI manual worth the money. I find Haynes manuals a waste of time since the late 80's

The wiring should all be in the drivers side corner behind the ali light panel. There are two plugs one for heated screen and one for wiper motor. i don't have a picture to hand but if you upload a picture of the rear loom behind that panel it should be fairly obvious which ones are which. Also I am not sure one the plugs on the rear cross member again may need a picture to identify. when I was rebuilding mine I found LRWorkshop to be invaluable for identifying wiring colours and connectors (LINK)

On manuals I would suggest the genuine manual is possible worth having but I wouldn't spend much money on it. I use my parts manual all the time but find google and a reputable forum like this (plenty of unreputable ones) is easier and better than the manual. I have one for mine on the shelf that is rarely used whereas the internet and on here is my go to for nearly everything.

miktdish · Jun 10, 2024

Dauphproto said:
I had been looking at them for a door and a Bulkhead.
Just to check I'll need a door, hinges, a latch & keeper. Oh and a seal .
Anything else?????

Door card ... I like the one from Mud.

Dauphproto said:
<snip> is the Genuine 300 TDI manual worth the money. I find Haynes manuals a waste of time since the late 80's

dag019 said:
On manuals I would suggest the genuine manual is possible worth having but I wouldn't spend much money on it. I use my parts manual all the time but find google and a reputable forum like this (plenty of unreputable ones) is easier and better than the manual. I have one for mine on the shelf that is rarely used whereas the internet and on here is my go to for nearly everything.

Yes, I second that, if you get really stuck you can RTFM, but there are some good knowledgeable folk on here.

dag019 · Jun 10, 2024

miktdish said:
Door card ... I like the one from Mud.

Your choice of door card depends on what you expect to be using the vehicle for. The genuine one is terrible and is basically a piece of cardboard, I also like the look of the MUD one but I have a price of black chequer plate as my door card because I regularly have large heavy things in the back of it and didn't want to risk damaging a plastic one.

Dauphproto · Jun 10, 2024

I hadn't thought about the inside of the door. Was trying to get it fitted wind and watertight. Would be nice to have an alloy outer skin from an originality point of view, but the completely Galv frame and plated galv skin will be stronger and less prone to corrosion, so is looking like a winner. Do you just put the door in the hole and drill the middle and lower hinge holes, are there reinforcing plates to fit???

dag019 · Jun 10, 2024

Dauphproto said:
I hadn't thought about the inside of the door. Was trying to get it fitted wind and watertight. Would be nice to have an alloy outer skin from an originality point of view, but the completely Galv frame and plated galv skin will be stronger and less prone to corrosion, so is looking like a winner. Do you just put the door in the hole and drill the middle and lower hinge holes, are there reinforcing plates to fit???

I am in the same position. I would ideally want a galv frame with alloy skin. But all galv is looking like the front runner for me as well.
What do you mean about drilling holes? Which holes do you not have?

Dauphproto · Jun 10, 2024

dag019 said:
I am in the same position. I would ideally want a galv frame with alloy skin. But all galv is looking like the front runner for me as well.
What do you mean about drilling holes? Which holes do you not have?

As it's a pickup with a tailboard there are no middle or lower hinge holes in the tub rear. Do the Bolts holding theTailboard hinge keeper fit the bottom hinge for the middle hinge there is a reinforcing plate, but mine has 1 big hole with an anti-luce pin in it which will need removing.
Common sense tells me that if i get the top and bottom fitted and working then the middle will sort itself out an obviously I can make spreader plates for inside the rear tub if I need to. This is my First Landy pick up to hard top conversion, so once it's done I'll know how to do it .................properly....maybe.

dag019 · Jun 11, 2024

Dauphproto said:
As it's a pickup with a tailboard there are no middle or lower hinge holes in the tub rear. Do the Bolts holding theTailboard hinge keeper fit the bottom hinge for the middle hinge there is a reinforcing plate, but mine has 1 big hole with an anti-luce pin in it which will need removing.
Common sense tells me that if i get the top and bottom fitted and working then the middle will sort itself out an obviously I can make spreader plates for inside the rear tub if I need to. This is my First Landy pick up to hard top conversion, so once it's done I'll know how to do it .................properly....maybe.

when I went the other way on my series to fit a soft top, removing the door and fitting a tailgate I replaced the whole triangular capping piece as this is just riveted on. If you can get hold of one of those that already has the holes drilled into it is might be worth swapping over. As then you have two hinges lined up correctly and attached so the bottom one will be easy to drill in The correct place.

Dauphproto · Jun 13, 2024

Well I did manage to repeat the feat and the second side got painted

All was fine I left it out until dusk and put it in the shed overnight, as the next day was sunny I put it back outside to get another heat. What happened I have no idea, but it managed to fall off the decked area and land on the top edge on the slab path 2 feet below. This has not done the top edge too many favours, but luckily the roof seal strip covers all the worst of the damage, other than some scratches in the face of the panel. You couldn't write it.....

Dauphproto · Jun 13, 2024

As well as that I have it booked in to the welders to get the rear shock brackets replaced, as the originals are paper thin where the backplate bolts to the bracket. As the Welder and I were checking the shape of the new brackets against the axle, he pointed out that the rear lower spring pans were looking a bit dodgy. I said the replacements were available, so he suggested getting them and doing it all at once, which seemed like a good idea, so I told him I would get the new parts fitted, so he would not have to deal with rusted up bolts, but be able to strip it and weld it up no worries.
The parts arrived and set to removing the new backplates I had fitted to improve the access to the shock brackets and had a look at the spring pans. I disconnected the shocks and jacked it up on the axle, then put the chassis on stands and lowered the jack. The rear springs obligingly lowered out of the top chassis mountings and I was looking at the blobs that were the lower keeper bolts, wondering about the best plan of attack. Having the new bits on hand revealed that I really could not see the saddle that is welded to the axle, so I gave the lower part of the spring a healthy dose of the size 10 and was rewarded with the whole spring and lower pan falling to the ground. This was repeated on the other side too.
A heavy application of the chipping hammer removed the lower keeper and spring pan without having to undo anything
Thus:

That was what was left apart from a big pile of Brown crumble on the floor. Easy enough to clean up with the grinder and refit the new parts using gravity to hold it all together. Once it was all reassembled it ain't going anywhere and will be an easy weld up, but it was a bit of a surprise and prompted a check all over the axle with the pick hammer, looks like years of mud and wet had done for them completely. the NS anti -roll bar bracket is not clever the o/s is ok???

Dauphproto · Jun 17, 2024

Today Mon. The Landy is at the Welders Getting it's brackets replaced, my Mate came round with Spraygun, we surveyed the clouds and decided to go for it, so the roof is finished.

Not bad for a Country Job..

Busy time ahead. paint the back axle when it comes back, refit the backplates. Remove the Dog hutch paint the cappings and we are ready to convert, new rear door should be about 10 days away, so there's the timeframe.
In other news, I have managed to get some temporary workshop space for Aug/Sept, so need to get a Bulkhead ordered. Then I'll be really sorry...

Dauphproto · Jun 23, 2024

Axle finished, Doghutch gone, cappings painted and Hard top fitted.

Convertible mode this morning

Then later this afternoon

Much smarter and quieter. The new door arrived on Fri from SP packaging was excellent.
Will try to get it fitting tomorrow then prep and paint .......................

Dauphproto · Jun 25, 2024

I trial fitted the door with top and bottom hinge only, Just to see how it filled the hole..

Pleasantly surprised with that, I can tell you. You may have noticed the upside down bottom hinge, which I hadn't. The Door is dry, but not yet handle-able, so it will be tomorrow now to finish it. Then on to the other 999,999.00 things to be done.

Dauphproto · Jun 28, 2024

Couple of pictures of the re-bracketed axle..

and the other side

Then the paint was dry on the Door, so on it went, with the hinges the right way round (idiot)

It's starting to look like I envisaged it when I bought it.

A Question. The truckcab headliner has cleaned up like new. Do I attempt to modify it for the hardtop or sell it on and put the money towards finding a hardtop headliner???
I have the complete set of parts for Making a pickup. Roof, rear bulkhead, tailgate plus all the fixtures and fittings as I bought a kit of bits to fit the hardtop. the interior trim parts are all there and will clean up fine.....

dag019 · Jun 28, 2024

Dauphproto said:
Couple of pictures of the re-bracketed axle..

with all the shiny new bits and the freshly painted axle you refitted the rusty olds springs, for shame! Could have a l least given them a quick blow over with chassis wax or similar so they look a little smarter

Dauphproto said:
t's starting to look like I envisaged it when I bought it.

I like this line, it is exactly what I did with my series, I knew exactly what I wanted and how a proper series should look and then slowly made the vehicle I had into what I had pictured. Similar with the 110 although that has been through a couple of face lifts, but it basically looks like I imagined a land rover to look when I was about 12 and started wanting one!

Dauphproto · Jun 28, 2024

dag019 said:
with all the shiny new bits and the freshly painted axle you refitted the rusty olds springs, for shame! Could have a l least given them a quick blow over with chassis wax or similar so they look a little smarter

I like this line, it is exactly what I did with my series, I knew exactly what I wanted and how a proper series should look and then slowly made the vehicle I had into what I had pictured. Similar with the 110 although that has been through a couple of face lifts, but it basically looks like I imagined a land rover to look when I was about 12 and started wanting one!

Springs will be getting changed with new shocks as the ride is too high and hard. Need to do my research first. I never liked the one colour Defenders when they came out, always preferred the Series white tops. Like you say it's about what you remember. All Landys were 2 tone when I was a kid

dag019 · Jun 28, 2024

Dauphproto said:
Like you say it's about what you remember. All Landys were 2 tone when I was a kid

Completely agree, from my memories as a child all series vehicles were canvas or a truck cab and I didnt want a truck cab.

Are the spring too high because they are HD (hence the hard ride) or is standard ride hight too high and you are looking to lower? i think of the yellow springs as being Britpart HD but you would obviously need to check. I have the below tables saved in my useful information file from when I was doing the suspension on the 110. I fitted HD fronts (90 rears) with a heavy winch bumper but kept the rears as standard.

Dauphproto · Jun 28, 2024

Thanks for that info. I'll have a read
It has got those Britpart Yellows fitted which I think raise it about an inch, The front is acceptable, but the rear is solid, I am thinking going Britpart Orange -1" and Bilstein B6 shocks, cheap shocks will not last on a Land Rover. The actual spring rates are a fair bit lower about 20%.
I fancy a front anti-roll bar only as a try out. 2 anti-roll bars on an unloaded 90 would be overkill.
Anyone got any experience/suggestions. I could if pushed break out the cornerweight gauge and see how the balance looks, seems a bit overkill for a Landy though. chassis setup is a passtime of mine, Saloons and occasional single seaters.
There is a slightly disconcerting thing about the feel of My Landy on undulating surfaces, The extra height will not help that at all. since Hard topping it and fitting the Stable Matting (good shout that was) it's like I have gone deaf it's much quieter. there are no knocks or clunks from the suspension or driveline which was one of the reasons I bought that one. No issues with bushes or joints that I can see/feel. It will run true hands off at any speed, since some minor track adjustments which on those ridiculous tyres is not bad. I know I can make it all work really well once I have figured it out...
In answer to how I envisaged it.. I'll steal a line from an old BTF film ` The largest and greatest of endeavours, must first take shape, in that smallest of chambers, the human mind'
People have said to me over the years How did you do it?
If you can't see it finished in your own minds eye, how can you make it, is my usual reply.
Thanks for watching

tottot · Jun 28, 2024

Actually the basic standard Armstrong shocks last very well. Just about to fit some new dampers on mine, this will be the 3rd set for what is now a 34 year old hard worked farm truck. I went down the road of Britpart HD springs some years ago and lasted a only a fortnight before fitting a new set of standard springs [ I wanted to save my back] Rear antiroll bar reconned to be a waste on SWB.
If you are going to push it sports car hard into corners watchout, [special if wet] the front is likely to depart first. More road bias tires on the front help.

dag019 · Jun 28, 2024

Dauphproto said:
fitting the Stable Matting (good shout that was)

Glad that worked for you, it is one of 2 mods I insist everyone does before doing anything else to their vehicle, also protects the tub form anything you throw in there. (FYI: the other mod is fitting wiper mounted washer jets to the font)

Dauphproto said:
cheap shocks will not last on a Land Rover.

Similar to @tottot, i am going to disagree with you there, I am back to the oem shocks on mine but before that I had very good results with the basic britpart ones which at the time were about £12 per corner (think they are little more now bust still very cheap). These lasted and performed well including a trip through the Moroccan dessert.

miktdish · Jun 28, 2024

+1 on std Armstrong shocks, the Britpart Orange ones are good too.
Regards springs, the Yellow Britpart ones are as good as an iron bar, far to solid.

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